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VEGETABLES AND FRUITS IN A CIRCULAR ECONOMY: PACKAGING CHALLENGES AND DESIGN OPPORTUNITIES

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 June 2023

Juliette Broucke ,
Esther Noeth  and
Els Du Bois
Juliette Broucke
Affiliation:
University of Antwerp, faculty of Design Sciences, department Product Development
Esther Noeth
Affiliation:
University of Antwerp, faculty of Design Sciences, department Product Development
Els Du Bois*
Affiliation:
University of Antwerp, faculty of Design Sciences, department Product Development
*
Du Bois, Els, University of Antwerp, Belgium, [email protected]

Abstract

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Packaging of potatoes, vegetables and fruits (PVF) currently deals with the fragile opposition of food waste reduction and packaging resource consumption. In order to understand how designers can rethink this always negative balance and outcome of waste creation, research was done to understand packaging and preservation of PVFs from both a technological and consumer perspective. A mixed research approach was applied, including literature study, expert interviews, packaging analyses, consumer survey and photo study. In sum, we concluded that the main function of packaging is preservation, including both protection from outside influences and conservation in best possible conditions. Optimal preservation should consider each PVF's respiration and transpiration needs, and ethylene sensitivity. Consumers are mostly not aware of correct preservation methods. However, on the other hand, their awareness evokes an important tendency to ban plastics without considering their positive impact on food preservation. In the paper, design opportunities are formulated for new reusable packaging, reducing waste creation and offering higher quality in food preservation and consumer experience.

Keywords

Circular economyFood wasteDesign engineeringEcodesignPackaging design
Type
Article
Information
Proceedings of the Design Society , Volume 3: ICED23 , July 2023 , pp. 3781 - 3790
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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